Episode One - Risen From The Ashes
by ThePeacemaker13746
1. Chapter One

_All the people in the left wing (rock)  
And all the people in the right wing (rock)  
And all the people in the underground (rock)  
I find myself stupified, coming back again  
All the people in the high rise (rock)  
And all the people in the projects (rock)  
And all la gente in the bario (rock)_  


They stood in the center of the crowded club. Ozmandayus, TC and Graham all with sneers of disgust on their faces as they watch the bodies of dozens of vampires gyrate to the music. Love's Bitches surround them, glaring, wondering at their presence here, on their turf. The B/X'ers are deep into Spuffy territory, in the heart of operations in Effulgia. They're here, in the dimly lit gothic club entitled The Den, for one purpose only. To seek out the leader of Love's Bitches. 

"Look at them." TC grates, repulsed. "I hate this place. I don't want to be here." 

"We have to be, brother. Otherwise, trust me...we would not." Day reminds him, just as disgusted. 

_Why, do you like playing around with  
My, narrow scope of reality  
I, can feel it all start slipping  
I think I'm breaking down_  


Day's eyes search the club, looking for the proud blonde head of VelvetBlood. He had received the summons from EMCEE. Velvet had agreed to the contract. There was to be a grand celebration, toasting the end of the Shipper Wars. He hated it. He hated it almost as much as he hated these dead, soulless beings all around him. His skin twitched from being in their presence. He wanted to watch them all crumble into dust. And now, that was as good as impossible. All that was required was he and Velvet's signature, and he would never be able to dust another single one of them. It was disappointing, to say the least. 

Graham stands beside TC, looking nervous. He's new to the BXXX tribe, and not yet prepared for dealing with this many of the enemy at once. Day sympathizes. He remembers the day when he had been shocked and appauled at their numbers. Now, after all these years...he was simply uncomfortably numb. 

_But I don't get it  
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit  
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it  
I get stupified_  


He sees a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye. Not the wildly uncontrolled thrashing of a dancer, but the slow, controlled movement of a proud leader. He sees flashes of her; her legs, a hand, her back...but never her face, through the masses. She breaks away from the crowd, descending the stairs of the upper level down towards the dance floor. 

He takes her in...the tight leather pants, the deep blue silk tank top that dipped down to reveal firm, full cleavage, the high, sandalled heels that showed daintily red painted toes. Finally he sees her face, eyes done in heavy black khol, lips painted a glossy cherry red, blonde hair pulled up, with tendrils sneaking out to tickle the line of her neck. She looks vital, pulsing with energy and power. He could feel it radiating off of her from across the room. As if sensing him as well, she lifts her head and their eyes meet... 

_If all fails...  
If all fails..._  


Day watches the slow smirk tilt one side of her full lips. She's amused by his bravado in coming here. It irritates him to no end that she doesn't fear him. She walks towards him, slowly, not rushed, letting him know that he was not her top priority...that she was the one in control here. It infuriates him. 

_And don't deny me  
No baby now, don't deny me  
And darlin' don't be afraid..._  


Velvet never breaks eye contact with him the entire time she walks slowly towards him. He looks irritated. He knows that she's playing him. Drawing it out, letting him know that she didn't give a damn. 

'Good.' She thinks. 'Let him wait.' 

When she reaches him, she stops, barely inches away, getting in his personal space. He doesn't flinch, just meets her gaze steadily. She respects him for that, just as she respects anyone she doesn't intimidate. Which were few... 

_Look in my face, step in my soul   
Look in my face, step in my soul   
Look in my face, step in my soul   
Look in my face, step in my soul _  


She smiles slowly, her eyes making a slow, deliberate sweep of his body. Black slacks and a snug gray fitted-tee. She meets his gaze again and allows pure, sexual hunger pour into the stare. 

_Look in my face, step in my soul   
Look in my face, step in my soul   
Look in my face, step in my soul   
Look in my face, step in my soul_  


She brushes past him, jolting his shoulder as she does so. It was rude, purposeful and calculated. She did it, as she did many other things, just to piss him off. 

Passing by a waiter, she plucks a glass of red Merlot from his tray and half-turns so that she is in profile to Day. She brings the glass to her lips and drains every last drop, setting it back on the tray before continuing towards the back of the club, to her office. 

_But I don't get it  
Don't you think maybe we could put it on credit  
Don't you think it can take control when I don't let it  
I find myself stupified, coming back again _  


Day watches as the crimson liquid disappears between her lips. He sees the still red tainted empty glass as the waiter passes by him, and watches Velvet vanish into a doorway in the back of the club. 

"What the hell was that all about?" TC asks him, angered and confused at Velvet's little display. 

"We're supposed to follow her." He tells him calmly. 

"How do you know?" Graham questions lightly, not wanting to anger his Emperor. 

Day doesn't look at either of them, keeping his eyes on the empty doorway Velvet now waits behind. He nods towards the glass. 

"It was symbolic." He explains. 

"Of what?" TC asks, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. 

Day smirks, despite himself. 'Oh Velvet,' he thinks 'We understand one another all too well.' 

"She's already fed." He says flatly, walking away from them to the back of the club. 

TC and Graham share a look before following their Emperor. 

'Into the lion's den...' TC thinks before slipping into the room after Day and Graham and closing the door. 

_Look in my face! (step into my soul!)  
Look in my face! (step into my soul!)  
Look in my face! (step into my soul!)  
I begin to stupify!_  


Day stands forefront, TC and Graham flanking him. Velvet sits in a satin-upholstered chair behind her desk, her feet propped up on the edge. She smiles coldly at the three men before her. 

"To what do I owe the honor of this visit, gentlemen?" she asks sweetly. 

"Cut the shit." Day snaps sharply, drawing an amused grin from Velvet. 

"Ooh, Ozy wants to play." She purrs. 

Kicking her legs off of the desk, she stands, walking around it towards the B/X'ers. 

"So, I take it you received the summons?" she questions Day. 

"Yes. You actually signed the contract. Why now?" he asks, honestly curious. 

Velvet stops in front of him, regarding him openly. "Spike is about to embark on a journey that, if we do not have peace now, could potentially be extremely bloody, on both of our sides." 

"The Africa spoiler?" Day asks, a little shocked at Velvet's insight. Could it be that she actually payed attention to political matters? That she wasn't just a pretty bauble to flaunt as the leader of a powerful ship? They had enough members that they didn't need one. Even unorganized, they would be deadly in battle, outnumbering B/X'ers on a massive scale. 

Velvet smiles, knowing that he was surprised. Yes, she actually did her job. And she did it well. Only one other person knew just how deep she went. Her Lanna...and Lanna would never tell. Let them believe she was a bubble-headed ditz. It made sneaking up from behind them even easier. 

"Yes. With rumors flying around about a B/X romance next year, and a de-chipped Spike...things could get ugly very quickly." She tells him calmly. 

"You ship is already ugly enough to begin with." Graham sneers boldly. 

Velvet raises an eyebrow, amused by the young charge standing up to her. She looks at Day, giving him a pointed look. He grins. It was an interplay that few would understand, but that they knew exactly what it meant. She was promising him she wouldn't drain the boy dry for his insolence, and he was telling her that he knew it. And that she had permission to play with him. 

Tapping a finger against her lip, she saunters over to Graham. He immediately looks worried. She stops very close to him, reaching out to trail a fingernail down his cheek. 

"Little boy talks big." She purrs softly. "Let's see if he can fill Daddy's breeches." 

She grins evily and his eyes widen, his body going stiff with fear. 

"None of your games, Bitch." TC growls, halfway unsheathing his Soul Sword. 

Velvet pouts prettily and swipes her hand away from Graham's cheek, scratching him as she does so. Blood wells up in the shallow cut. She winks at him. 

"Consider it a battle wound." She murmurs, before walking back to her desk. "If that's all you came for, Ozy, then you have my permission to leave, unharmed. But know that if you so much as pull out a toothpick, you'll be dead within seconds." 

She turns around to give him a meaningful glare before sitting back down behind her desk. The three B/X'ers turn around without another word. Velvet waits until Day is almost out the door before adding... 

"Oh, and Ozy? Tonight is the last night we can legally kill each other. So, if you've any aspirations in that area, be sure to act on them tonight." She smirks, telling him without words that she doesn't think he could kill her. That she would best him in battle. 

Day glares at her and slams his fist into the wall, cracking the plaster, and strides angrily out of the room without a backward glance. 


	2. Chapter Two

Ozmandayus crept slowly into the master bedroom, moving like a black panther. He stealthily steps closer to the bed, dressed completely in black from head to toe as to blend in the shadows of the darkened room. Stopping about a foot from the bed, he gazes down at the woman, no…thing, before him. She's wearing a pair of deep red wine colored silk shorts and a matching baby tank top. As his eyes take in her softly curled honey-colored hair, with the low light glinting off of the red highlights, he begins to question whether she could truly be evil. She looked so angelic, dusky lashes resting on pale, elegant high cheekbones. Her hand rests hear her cheek, curled into a tiny fist…her bare legs were bent at the knee, curled into her stomach in a fetal position. The sheets had tangled around her calves and waist. If she were human, she would have shivered from the cold…  
  
'But she's not human.' Day reminds himself mentally.  
  
Looking away from her, he removes the stake from the inside of his jacket. When he looks back down, she's staring right back at him, blue eyes wide. He jumps, startled.  
  
'Uh oh…' he thinks. 'Busted.'  
  
Surprisingly though, VelvetBlood didn't automatically try to tear his throat out for invading her territory. Not only was he deep inside the B/S lines of Effulgia, but he was also in her bedroom, a place even some of her closest BAP associates weren't allowed to tread. Instead, she looks at him with something akin to pain on her face, taking in the stake and knowing his intentions. He was going to dust her while she slept.  
  
"Ozy…?" she questions softly.  
  
Ozmandayus looks away. Only she called him that. The rest called him by his full name, or by Day. He knew she did it to annoy him. Everything she did was to annoy him. Just as he's about to say something she suddenly sits up, her eyes blazing.  
  
"What in the fuck are you doing here?" she shouts at him.  
  
'Ah, now this is the Velvy I know and hate.' He smirks to himself.  
  
"What does it look like?" he asks, holding up the stake, and sighing as though it were obvious. Which it was…  
  
"You were going to dust me?" she asks, her voice slipping back into the soft, hurt tone she'd used when she first woke up.  
  
Day looks at her like she's insane. "Of course, I was going to dust you! Hello? Mortal enemies now!"  
  
VelvetBlood shakes her head, letting out an angry sigh. "I can't believe you!"  
  
"Oh, and pray tell, why not?" Day humors her sarcastically.  
  
Velvet just gives him a hurt expression. "In my sleep. You were going to stake me in my sleep. You wouldn't even give me the respect of a final battle, huh? Duel to the death, blood and glory, and all that. You were just going to dust me while I was defenseless…"  
  
Day looks at her, stunned. He didn't know why he'd chosen this night of all nights to sneak into her bedroom and dust her in her sleep like a coward. He too wanted them to go out in a blaze of glory, fighting one another. They were each other's only worthy opponents, and they both knew it. Pulling himself away from his thoughts, he looks at her coldly.  
  
"You're a demon. A THING! You don't deserve respect." He tells her without feeling.  
  
Velvet gasps angrily, then suddenly rips the sheets away from her, drawing herself up on her knees in front of him so that they're eye to eye.  
  
"Fine! Do it, Oz! Go ahead…stake me! C'mon, don't tell me you're gonna back down now! DO IT!" she screams at him.  
  
Day draws his stake back, ready to plunge it into her chest, but hesitates. He tries to shake the feeling of unwanted hesitation away, but once again can't bring himself to stake her. Instead he looks up at her face, in its righteous fury, and violently pulls her to him for a long, passionate kiss.  
  
Velvet goes stock still, shocked beyond reason at Oz's actions. His mouth is urgent on hers and before long, she finds herself kissing him back just as passionately. She moans into his mouth as his tongue caresses her own, arching into him and holding him closer.  
  
The feel of her soft, cool lips was driving him crazy. Her tongue, while cold, was silky and smooth, twisting against his sensuously. At her soft moan, he suddenly comes back to reality, pulling away from her abruptly and pushing her away. Velvet makes a small whimper of disapproval, and looks at him in confusion.  
  
Day glares at her, panting for breath. He'd just kissed VelvetBlood…his mortal enemy, a vampire! And he'd loved every second of it.  
  
'Oh God…'  
  
In a fit of panic, he raises the stake and plunges it deep into her cold, unmoving chest. She gasps, her eyes going wide in shock, as one hand comes up to grasp the blunt end of the stake protruding from her chest. She looks down, watching the blood flow from the wide, gaping hole around the stake. Blood runs down her body freely and pools on the bed beneath her. When her eyes meet his again, they're clouded and distant.  
  
'What? She's not dusting…' he thinks frantically.  
  
"Ozy…" she breathes, before slumping down on the bed, dead.  
  
******  
  
Day sits up in bed, panting and sweating as though he'd just run a marathon.  
  
"God, no. Please no!" he begs breathlessly.  
  
TBC 


	3. Chapter Three

******  
  
24 hours later  
  
******  
  
  
  
"Animals. All of them," Day spoke softly as the glass elevator lowered to the huge ballroom floor. Lights flashed from below as the press moved in, hoping to have the first picture and sound bite of the evening. Tonight's formal reception would precede tomorrow's peace treaty, finally ending a six year struggle between the ships. EMCEE finally, after many, many hard negotiations, had found just enough compromises to bring both factions to the table.  
  
"Look at them," TC commented while looking down at his sworn enemies. Ever so often his hand would reach for the handle of his Soul Sword, always on his hip. "They should all be dust. Just like that 'thing' they support."  
  
"Day, for the last time," Monica began as the elevator reached the bottom floor. "Is our presence truly necessary? None of us want to be here. This is all for publicity sake and you know it."  
  
"This has been going on far to long, Monica," Day said as he stepped off the elevator. Having already instructed EMCEE to have her security ward off all reporters hoping for a quick interview, he stepped out of the elevator. Immediately all eyes were on the Emperor and his contingent. Black tuxes for the men, with Monica wearing an elegant black low-cut evening gown. "This shipper war has to end before more bloodshed takes place. Love's Bitches have agreed to the treaty, just like us." Day stopped and turned around to address the Hierarchy. "Let's get in there, do our little song and dance for the pony show, smile for the cameras, eat the free food, and get the hell out of here."  
  
TC eyed a group of Love's Bitches vampires as they began to cluster around VelvetBlood's table, ever conscious of the intense hate between the two ships. "What if there's trouble? They outnumber us four to one."  
  
General UHC whispered into TC's ear. "You ever see a big fireworks show as a kid?"  
  
"What is that supposed to mean?" TC asked. His eyes widened when UHC opened his jacket, revealing small bricks of C-4 attached to the inside lining on both sides.  
  
"You just may see one tonight. If we don't walk out of here, ain't no ship walking out of here."  
  
All four members of the Hierarchy nodded in agreement. TC and UHC made their way to the drinks table. Day was about to step away when he felt an arm stop him, then a warm breath in his ear.  
  
Monica spun Day around and got in his face. "Despite the number of women in here tonight, do not forget that most of them want to kill you."  
  
Day's smile was deadly charming, but had no effect on her. She was unique in that regard. "I'll be good."  
  
"No you won't," Monica smiled. "But in the midst of inflating that already huge ego, watch yourself. There are almost 40 Loves Bitches in here. Don't get killed trying to once again prove that you're the sexist man alive."  
  
"Like I ever have to prove that." Day's smirk only widened when three women beckoned him to their table. "Excuse me, my dear."  
  
'One day that charm won't get you out of trouble,' Monica thought to herself as she approached TC and Church. Light jazz music played about the huge ballroom. The press was stationed at every entrance and exit, giving this event worldwide coverage.  
  
Everyone knew that this was a night no one was ever going to forget.  
  
******  
  
Lanna's hand ran along VelvetBlood's inner thigh, caressing her mistress, always at her side. But the leader of Love's Bitches was distracted. She heard the commotion behind her as Day made his way into the ballroom. "I want him dead." She growls.  
  
JuniorK snarled from across the table, dressed in a full black leather bodysuit. "Just give the word and we'll take him. He didn't come with the Royal guard tonight. We won't get a better chance to nail his ass."  
  
Lanna hid her blush, not wanting anyone to know she wouldn't mind being nailed by Day. But to say such a thing could lead to her own staking. "The Emperor is not stupid, Junior. Attacking him in front of the world will make us look bad. We'd lose a great deal of our support. And we turn him into a martyr."  
  
VelvetBlood paid the conversation no mind as she drank her champagne. 'How in the world will I get through an entire evening with *him* in the same room?' She shifted in her seat, hating the fact that TV cameras were on her at all times.  
  
Then she saw him.  
  
He moved like a lion as he mingled through the crowds, striding while others appeared to move in slow motion. In her quiet moments Velvet would admit he was attractive. Very attractive. Tall, dark, and handsome. Dangerously charming.  
  
And totally off limits.  
  
'Like I'd do anything other than kill him,' Velvet sneered to herself as she rose to her feet. Lanna immediately came to her side. The other members of Love's Bitches also rose. "Stay. Lanna, you're with me. I want to say a few words to him."  
  
"Is this wise?" supermus asked, already regretting the defiant tone of her voice.  
  
"Do you value your life?"  
  
With all her devotion to the B/S cause supermus knew with a wave of her hand that VelvetBlood could have her killed. "Y...yes, my lady."  
  
"Then never question me again."  
  
Velvet turned and began her journey to the Emperor.  
  
******  
  
'Damn', Ozmandayus said to himself as VelvetBlood walked toward him, with Lanna close behind.  
  
He had believed she would come to this reception dressed in all leather from head to toe. His heart was not prepared for the vision before him.  
  
VelvetBlood wore a cream sequined ball gown that complemented her pale, smooth skin, absolutely stealing his breath from his lungs. The gown hugged her curves in a decadent fashion, and displayed a modest amount of full cleavage. Her honey blonde hair was piled on the crown of her head in a mass of curled ringlets, and looked nothing short of spectacular. He knew she was evil. Heartless even. But there was something else about her. Something he couldn't seem to identify.  
  
He didn't know if he wanted to choke her or…..  
  
"Why such a small group tonight, Ozy?" Velvet knew he hated to be called that, and yet she did it every single time they met.  
  
"I didn't see a need for security," He replied, staring into her blue-gray eyes.  
  
Lanna growled at his lack of concern, as if he were saying they couldn't take him if they wanted too. "Your overconfidence is your weakness."  
  
"Your faith in Spike is yours." Day stopped a waiter, taking two champagne glasses. He extended one to Velvet. And despite how amazing Lanna looked in her red satin dress with a scooped back, Ozmandayus ignored her. Somehow that that only made her want to fuck...um...kill him even more.  
  
Velvet eyes him most curiously, raising one slender eyebrow ala Spike. "Is it poison?"  
  
"Hardly," Ozmandayus added, turning his back to them, now looking out at the night sky. "If I wanted to kill you I'd do it face to face. Just so that I could watch the unlife bleed from your eyes."  
  
Lanna had heard enough, now reaching for the blade holster resting on the inside of her thigh. She stopped cold when she noticed the little red dot on her forehead.  
  
Monica sat at a table not far away, aiming a weapon in her lap. All she did was shake her head. Lanna moved back to Velvet's side.  
  
Day's presence made her blood boil. She wasn't always sure what that meant. "We won't be enemies anymore after tomorrow."  
  
"We will always be enemies," Day fired back as he felt her come up to him from behind. He could smell her, everything that she was. It was.…  
  
Intoxicating.  
  
"Buffy thought the same thing about Spike, you know." Velvet smiled when Lanna pressed a soft kiss to her neck.  
  
"Buffy is deluded. But she eventually came to her senses." Turning around, he faces VelvetBlood, as always marveling in the eyes of any woman that can stand face to face with him. "How does it feel to lead a ship that no longer exists?"  
  
"I'm not sure. How does it feel to lead a ship that never existed at all?"  
  
She could feel his warm breath on her face. The intensity in his eyes did not bring fear as did in so many others. A part of him was drawn to her because of that.  
  
"Just wait until next season."  
  
"Spike will have a soul and then there will be nothing to stop B/S," Lanna spoke defiantly from over Velvet's shoulder, now snaking an arm around her waist.  
  
"Can't you go anywhere without your lap dog near by?"  
  
Velvet slowly began caressing the arm around her waist. "Lanna's presence is always welcome." The expression on Day's face was one Velvet couldn't honestly read well. He appeared agitated, at least partly.  
  
That dream last night still haunted him. Even more so now that the star of his dream stood before him, looking more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen before. "When Spike gets his chip out," he began, then leaned over to whisper in Velvet's ear. "Everything you've worked for will turn to ashes. Everything."  
  
"Ashes would still be more than any B/X'er has ever had." She hid the shiver that coursed through her body. The one his deep voice aroused in her. "Give it up, Ozy. You can't win." she breathes into his ear, eliciting her own shiver in him.  
  
"I always win." he says, pulling away. Everyone in the room disappeared except for them. No music, no flashes from reporters cameras, teams or anything else...  
  
Just them.  
  
Staring into each others' eyes.  
  
"B/X doesn't exist, Ozy. It never has. And it never will." Velvet smiled, handing him her now empty champagne glass. "You have a nice evening."  
  
"You're dead."  
  
Lanna growled, but Velvet stilled her. "I already know that. Vampire, remember?"  
  
Ozmandayus watched her as she walked away. His mortal enemy. The one person that defied him. And now haunted him…  
  
But not for much longer. He had planned this evening out perfectly. Leaving the Royal Guard behind was a calculated decision. Everything was going according to his design. Tomorrow morning he would sit in alongside the Love's Bitches' new leader. For tonight...  
  
He'd dance in their current one's ashes. 


	4. Chapter Four

******  
  
3 hours later  
  
******  
  
"Do we have a deal?"  
  
Treachery comes in all shapes, sizes and colors. Right now treachery resembled the leather-clad vampire known as JuniorK. She stood on the roof of the hotel that both teams were staying in, now looking out at the night sky. "Why should I trust you?"  
  
He stepped from the shadows, but never joined her side. "The war will soon be over. B/S has ended and there is no promise that B/X will ever begin. Both sides have amassed fortunes and followers. I will not give up the Empire I created simply because Joss and the gang decided to screw us both. Decisive decisions must be made."  
  
'I can't help but to agree with that,' the ageless vampire thought to herself as a light breeze caressed her cool skin. "Love's Bitch's needs new leadership. Velvet is to caught up in her war with you. She can't see the future. But I can."  
  
"Then make the right decision," Ozmandayus spoke as he stepped forward, now behind her. "I want nothing more to do with you or your kind. The war ends when the treaty is signed. The only thing left is power. Xander and Spike have become insignificant in comparison to the big picture."  
  
"And what exactly is this big picture you speak of?" JuniorK snarled, turning to face the Emperor. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at her with a piercing stare. "I do what you say and then you turn on me. Then I'll be the one who ends up dead."  
  
"If I wanted you dead you would be on your way off this roof as we speak. Trust me, I mean you no harm."  
  
"Who says you won't turn to one of my sired one day, asking them to betray me."  
  
"I can't say that. What I offer is the chance for you to control Love's Bitches yourself. To mold them into what they need to be when Buffy is no longer on the air. The money and the fanfic, the websites, all the merchandise, not to mention the FX reruns. That's going to be big business. Your team needs new leadership." He saw his words grab hold of her, interest sparked anew. Just as he had planned it. "You won't have to deal with Team BXXX anymore. We're getting out of the shipping business altogether. This is all about money, plain and simple."  
  
A devilish grin crossed her beautiful features. "You are quite the talker, aren't you?"  
  
"I come bearing only the truth."  
  
"You want all vampires dead, just like Xander does. If you could kill all of us with a single button press, you would."  
  
"I have never stated otherwise."  
  
"You're a vile, lying, manipulator."  
  
"And you're a soulless demon."  
  
She wanted to kill him. Wanted to sate herself on his blood and brag to the entire world about it. He stood just two feet in front of her with his hands behind his back, looking as smug as ever. She did not fear him, having slain many in her day. But his words offered her something even his blood could not.  
  
Revenge.  
  
Revenge on the one who keeps her on a leash. Revenge on her master. The student could now become the teacher. And once the deed was done all power would come to her as second in command.  
  
"Wait until 11:30 PM. The security code for our floor is G7655QU. I'll make sure the floor is empty when you arrive."  
  
"Do not double cross me," Ozmandayus warned softly, betraying nothing more that deadly intent. JuniorK simply nodded, then side stepped him and walked away. "We need a diversion. Something to keep everyone occupied."  
  
She stopped before reaching the door. "Things could get messy. Both sides may take casualties."  
  
"Sometimes sacrifices must be made."  
  
  
  
******  
  
2 hours later Lower Level Bar  
  
******  
  
He stared at the ice cubes in his drink, needing to focus on something, anything other than the fact that he was surrounded by vampires drinking blood all around him. "This is pure torture." Behind him sat no less than nine tables, with at least five Love's Bitches at each. Normally this would have turned into a blood bath, complete with shipper insults.  
  
But things have changed.  
  
Sitting next to UHC at the bar, Darth TC couldn't help but to agree. "There has to be nearly 50 Love's Bitches in here tonight. It's like a demon convention." His hand ever so often caressed the handle of his Soul Sword, ever ready for the war that has gone on for far too long.  
  
Monica kept her eyes on one table in particular, no doubt knowing they are as displeased by Team BXXX's presence as they are about Love's Bitches'. "One more night and then we are done with them. Just keep telling yourself that while knocking back your drinks."  
  
"Easier said then done." Church landed back against the bar counter, looking out of the luxurious bar area of the Grand Hilton. Extravagant was the understatement of the day. EMCEE wanted everything to be the best of the best and it was.  
  
But even the signing of this treaty to end the shipper wars could not dampen the years of conflict between both sides. The arguments, the fights, over and over again until there was nothing left. That would not be forgotten with the signing of one piece of paper.  
  
"Can I have 4 Blood Rums," Lanna ordered as she moved in-between TC and Monica at the bar. Dressed in leather from head to toe, she as possessed a dark sexuality that was hard to resist. "How are my favorite Team BXXX'rs doing this evening?"  
  
"Fine until about two seconds ago," Monica dead panned without a hint of a smile. She and Lanna had been enemies for years. To many redemption arguments have fueled a solid hate between the ladies.  
  
With an expression of pure attitude, Lanna ignored her, now eyeing the two male B/X'ers with anything but malice. "You both know we are not enemies anymore. Perhaps we should try to get along a little better." Her tone of voice turned honey sweet as she tucked a lock of red hair behind her ear. "Maybe go somewhere quiet. I'm not sleeping with Velvet tonight, but I wouldn't mind some company. Lets see if all that intensity you to put into your hatred of my kind can be redirected into a more pleasurable act."  
  
UHC shook his head, smirk firmly planted on his face. "Sorry, necrophelia isn't my cup of tea. The only thing I like cold is my beer."  
  
"Your loss, baby" Lanna shrugged, turning her attention now to TC. "How about you? Let's see what we can do with that Soul Sword of yours," she finished with a wink, licking her lips. The High Lord stared at her for a second, his face not betraying his thoughts. That moment's contemplation caused Monica to rise from her chair, toss a twenty at the bartender and headed straight for the elevator. Lanna looked on with a smile. "So, what is it gonna be?"  
  
"Monica, wait..." TC paid her no mind, side stepping her to follow Monica. UHC and Lanna looked on, both a bit confused at what just happened.  
  
Lanna turned her attention back to UHC, now leaning over into his face "It's just you and me now."  
  
"No, not really."  
  
"And what is that supposed to mean?"  
  
"In my jacket I have enough explosives to kill everyone in this ballroom. If one of your Bitches so much as looks at my neck too hard this place is going to resemble one large ash tray."  
  
"Poor deluded Xander fans," Lanna teased as she walked around the General of Team BXXX. "Always preparing for a party you're never going to get invited to. Much like B/X, I'm afraid." Her drink arrived and she ordered a waiter to deliver them to her table. "Love's Bitches outnumber you 5 to 1, Church. Rest assured if you killed everyone one of us in this room there would still be more than enough of my kind left over to dominate the BTVS universe. If we can conquer B/A, we most assuredly can defeat a second rate, piss poor ship like yours. Especially one that never happened. Half of the Team BXXX Troops aren't even B/X'ers, just Spike haters." Her hand extended, caressing the side of his face. "Tomorrow this silly war ends. And relics of the old order, like yourself, will be forgotten. You're a dinosaur, a warrior with no war left to fight. How pathetic is that?"  
  
"The treaty won't last," Church fired back, looking into her eyes with disdain. "There are rumors of a B/X/S triangle next season. If that happens this treaty will be a joke at best, much like Spike's redemption. You B/S'ers are running scared. Check the message boards. You're cattle and you know the slaughter is coming" He watched her face darken for am moment, confirming the truth of his words. "You can see the writing on the wall, can't you? Or is VelvetBlood's little sex toy that dense?"  
  
"With the wave of my hand I can have you killed."  
  
"Go for it."  
  
"I'm going to send you to hell."  
  
"Perhaps. But I'll drag you along with me." His finger tapped against a small lever on the cufflink of his jacket.  
  
"Count on it."  
  
"You surely can try." Church finished his drink and settled up with the bartender. "I'm going to call it a night, Lanna. I sincerely hope you accidentally drink a glass of holy water. Goodnight."  
  
Lanna watched him walk away, wishing she could order his death. But Velvet wanted the treaty to go through, and a fight the night before the signing would just about kill it.  
  
Just at that moment Junior K tapped her on the shoulder. Stunned by what she was told, Lanna called forth all of the Love's Bitches vampires to her side, detailing exactly what she expected them to do. Anger clouded her eyes as she walked through the ballroom now, hate emanating from her with every measured step.  
  
As the vampires fanned out to all available elevators, JuniorK smiled to herself, having set in motion a chain of events that know one could predict it's outcome.  
  
TBC 


	5. Chapter Five

******  
  
VelvetBlood's Bedroom  
  
******  
  
JuniorK did her job well. The entire floor was clear. Her security code number deactivated all hidden motion detectors and cameras. Picking the lock to her door posed no problem at all.  
  
Light cascaded into the room, creating shadows that fell over her bed. Day stood just a few feet away. He could make out the curves of her body underneath the sheets. That image has haunted him for weeks now, though he would never admit that. The thought of her should have brought about revulsion.  
  
Instead it brought out desire.  
  
Tonight, he intended to kill that desire. To murder and remove it from his destiny. Ending a war and still being alive is the true key to winning it. He had done that. But this moment, this act…  
  
This was personal.  
  
Velvet shifted ever so slightly, moaning softly in her sleep, a sound that shook the Emperor in a way he would never, ever admit. 'I've got to end this.'  
  
He made his way closer to his enemy's bed. Unsheathing a stake from his coat, he prepared to deliver a hard blow, dusting her in seconds. Upon closer inspection he discovered her sleeping with the covers over her head. Lying on her right side, she offered the perfect position to stake her and be done with it.  
  
Deep down, there was part of him that wondered, 'What if'? Had the circumstances been different. If Spike would have never returned to Sunnydale. If Xander was played by another actor other than NB. But the time for these things to have altered current events has passed. The only thing left is the end. Using a most fitting line...  
  
This is the final nail in the coffin.  
  
Raising the stake, Ozmandayus brought it crashing down into the chest of VelvetBlood with all the force his powerful body could muster. What he expected was an immediate cloud of dust, and not a muffled scream followed by the dark release of blood now flowing from the wound he inflicted.  
  
"Who's a murderer of innocents now?"  
  
Day spun around, only to find VelvetBlood standing next to the doors the led to her balcony, dressed in a black cloak, her eyes blazing into his. Day yanked the sheets from the bed to find a blonde woman blindfolded and gagged. "Jace?"  
  
"She betrayed you," Velvet spoke as she stepped from the shadows. "She came to me after the reception and offered your head on a platter. She wanted to be turned. She was tired of always being on the losing side."  
  
She let it sink in, let it hurt, that one of his own had lost the faith.  
  
"I fucked her. Then I tied her up, leaving her for you to finish off."  
  
His rage had to be tempered with intelligence and calm. "How did you know I would come to you tonight?"  
  
"I could feel it in my blood."  
  
"Are you trying to tell me vampires have a Spidey-Sense now?"  
  
"No. But it wasn't hard to figure out. Leaving the Royal Guard behind? Tsk, tsk, Ozy. You had to know I'd figure that one out."  
  
Day said nothing, moving toward her. "Jace betrayed me. Her death is insignificant."  
  
"My, my, my, how very gray of you to say that."  
  
"Oh, that's not gray at all," Day eluded with a smile. "You killed her, Velvet. You seduced and killed her and then I killed you."  
  
"You're quite the storyteller."  
  
"And you're dead."  
  
Velvet shrugged her shoulder, allowing her cloak to fall to the floor. The leather she wore underneath clung to her like a second skin, forcing all that would see her to add her name to the dictionary as the pure definition of sin.  
  
"We've danced this dance many times, Velvet. Pity you've never learned the steps."  
  
"Allow me to show you how well I've learned the steps to our dance over the years."  
  
TBC 


End file.
